DIY Trick-or-Treat Bag
Turn an old T-shirt into a reusable Halloween trick-or-treat bag! This easy sewing project uses the shirt's existing hem to make a drawstring closure. Decorate it with homemade Halloween fabric stamps for a fun project kids can help with.
Equipment
- scissors
- Sewing machine or needle
- Safety pin
Ingredients
- Old T-shirt orange works well for a pumpkin bag
- Ribbon or cord for the drawstring
- Thread
- Craft foam
- Small pieces of sturdy plastic or wood for the stamps
- Glue
- Fabric paint
- Cardboard to place inside the bag while stamping
Instructions
Make the bag
- Fold the T-shirt in half lengthwise and cut away the sleeves and neckline, leaving a rounded edge. Keep the original bottom hem intact.
- Turn the fabric inside out and sew along the curved edge to close the bottom of the bag. Turn it right side out.
- Make small openings in the outer layer of the original hem, on either side of the seams. You'll generally need two or four openings, depending on the shirt's construction and whether you're using one or two drawstrings.
- Attach a safety pin to one end of your ribbon or cord. Guide it through the hem around the bag, then tie the ends together, leaving enough length to open and close the bag comfortably.
Make the fabric stamps
- Draw Halloween shapes, such as ghosts, pumpkins, and triangles, onto craft foam and cut them out.
- Glue the foam shapes onto small pieces of sturdy plastic or wood to make stamps.
Decorate the bag
- Place cardboard inside the bag to prevent paint from soaking through.
- Apply fabric paint to the stamps and press them onto the bag to create your designs.
- Allow the paint to dry and follow the manufacturer's instructions for setting it.
Notes
You can sew the bottom straight instead of curved, but I like the rounded shape for a jack-o'-lantern bag.
Clear plastic makes a great backing for the stamps because you can see exactly where you're placing your designs. I've even reused old CD cases for this!
We used triangles for the pumpkin's eyes and nose and repeated a W-shaped stamp to make the mouth.
I used one long piece of ribbon because that's what I had on hand. If you have enough ribbon, you can use two drawstrings instead, threading one from each side. That gives you two handles and makes the bag easier to close and carry.
You can use the same technique to make drawstring bags in different sizes. See my drawstring pouch tutorial for more ideas.